Destiny

Chapter 9

“Mr. Lockwood,” I stood up quickly and followed him out.  “Is everything alright?”  I heard him take a long, deep breath as we walked through the hall.  My eyes widened when he stopped me, placing his hands on my shoulders.  He looked at me with an expression I had never seen in him before.  He seemed jumpy – maybe even frightened at the sight of me.  But on the other hand, there was a strange aura of hope that seemed to center around him.

“Alexa, I just need to look into something.  It has to be done on my own, I’m sorry.”  He withdrew from me and continued down the hall.

I raised my hand up as if to stop him, but slowly lowered it as he disappeared around the corner.  Seeing Mr. Lockwood’s reaction, made me even more anxious to find the true meaning of Alexandra.  I exhaled and started back down the hall, towards my room.

I walked slowly, inspecting the many decorations and paintings that were set on small tables and walls.  I passed a massive painting of a gorgeous beach landscape.  It was almost exactly how I imagined the shore where Mr. Lockwood and Elizabeth had their first date together.  It must have been so hard for Mr. Lockwood to lose someone he was in love with.  I stared at the painting, trying to imagine the beautiful scene that must have been laid out for them on that night.

“You need something, Alley?”  I saw Levi with his head poked around the corner of a nearby door.

“Not really, just looking for something to do.”  I glanced at him, and then back at the painting.  “This is really pretty.”

“Yeah, I remember when I was there.” 

I paused, looking away, and then turned to look at him.  “You’ve been to this place?”

“Sure I have.  Every Protector has to go to Inpurus at least once.  We usually have our Shield removed and our blessing is told to us for the first time – May triumphus exsisto procul vestri pars.”  I nodded and looked away at the sound of those words.  In a way, they came to my ears as foreign and unusual.  But they also seemed to be oddly familiar.  When I looked back up, Levi wasn’t there.  Curiosity crept up inside me and I felt myself edge toward his door. 

I peered over the corner and looked into his room.  Its main color was a navy blue – almost everything was in different shades of it.  The room was similar to mine, only having a few extra things – a cherry-wood bookshelf teeming with novels, and a small study area.  Levi was lying in his bed, flinging a small dagger up and catching it by the handle multiple times.  I walked to the doorframe and leaned against it, waiting for Levi to notice I was there.  Levi seemed completely oblivious to my presence, until he spoke to me.

“You can come in if you want.  There’s no sense in you just loitering there.”  I wandered in slowly and took a seat on a small desk chair.  He tossed the dagger up in the air once more.  I watched as a beam from the ceiling light reflected off its smooth, silver surface, and disappeared as it dropped down to Levi’s hands.  He prepared to throw it again, but then stopped and looked in my direction.  “Come here, Alley.”  He sat up on his bed and patted the area next to him, beckoning me forward.  I took a seat next to him gently as our gazes met.  For the first time, I could see the depth of his poison green eyes.  There was a sort of emptiness that flickered behind them – something that appeared to be hidden, tucked away by his bitter remarks and secluded ways.  It seemed as if I could finally see just a hint of a different side of Levi lingering inside of him, pushing at him, trying to edge its way out. 

He blinked and looked down at the dagger in his hand.  The handle was beautifully crafted in a series of thick spirals, coiling around it like plant vines.  The top of it seemed to branch out and curve like delicate angel wings.  The blade itself was slightly curved, with sharp, jagged edges.  Levi smoothed his fingers over its surface and closed his eyes, as if remembering something.